


Ransom

by Merixcil



Series: Whumptober 2019 [27]
Category: Jesus Christ Superstar - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Guilt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 14:48:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26360662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Merixcil/pseuds/Merixcil
Summary: Judas tries to see Jesus in prison
Series: Whumptober 2019 [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1838356





	Ransom

The gates are closed, the facade of the prison unyielding. It looks as if it were carved into the sandstone, rather than cobbled together from individual bricks and raised by the collective power of the people. 

The people are so strong together, and still nowhere near as strong as the Roman army. Judas approaches the guards, hiding his hands in his pockets to disguise their shaking. He’s a fool, a sell out, and already certain they can smell it on him. 

“No civilians past this point.” The first guard says, his Hebrew good but accented, and Judas almost wants to like him for it, as so few of them ever bother to learn the language with any degree of finesse. 

Judas stops, trying to come to a firm standstill but shuffling his feet instead. He is a child, come to beg for forgiveness. “Please…my friend…”

“No civilians.” The guard reiterates, readjusting his spear to rest threateningly against his hip. 

What does that make the people inside then? Already condemned, cast out beyond the reaches of society. No civilians here. 

Judas is guilty. Guilty as sin. What does that make him?

“Unless you have something for us?” The other guard barks off in Latin. Judas is a good Roman subject, he’s learned more than enough of their language to get by.

He reaches for his back pocket, where he’s stashed the money from the Pharisees. Thirty pieces of silver will buy you so much and so little. He understands what they were doing, of course. Warned of the same thing himself and here they all are, being crushed for going too far. A conquering force cannot stand to see the mob move against it, especially when controlled by such a thin allegiance to one man. Blood and destruction. You can see why they tried to avoid it. 

How much it will take, he cannot say. Only that he is willing to pay the price, to see what his honesty has bought him. He starts with a single coin, pulling it out shyly, out of sight of anyone who might be watching. He’s expecting them to hesitate, to think about taking him seriously. Then they can hold back and wait for more. They will want him to beg, and he may not give them the satisfaction, till he finds that the price is right. 

He’s not prepared for their eyes to go wide, eagerly reaching forward to take the offered trinket as if they might be able to split it between the two of them. They stare at it for a long minute, reaching out to take it in tandem. 

It’s just silver. You can dig it out of the ground, if you know where to look. And wouldn’t you know it, Judas does. 

“Go on then.” The first guard drops his spear and nods over his shoulder for Judas to proceed. “If anyone catches you on the inside though, we’ll swear blind we’ve never seen you before.”

A fair exchange. One thirtieth of a betrayal for the confirmation that everything you did was wrong. He is a broken machine doing things that he never quite imagined himself meaning with such intensity. The ransom paid, Judas closes his eyes and walks into the pit. 

**Author's Note:**

> I borrowed a line from Cry for Judas by The Mountain Goats. The original goes 'But I am just a broken machine/and I do things that I don't really mean'
> 
> This work was originally posted as part of a multi chaptered 'whumptober' fic that I'm trying to split up. If you think you've read it before, you probably have


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